Imperfect vs Preterite

Question

Hi,For the sections "Eran aún mejores que..." and then after this "...en mis sueños.", I believe it might be a bit confusing to separate these parts of the same sentence as the use of the imperfect or preterite tense for the 'Ser' in this sentence relies on the context of to when this action refers. Just seeing the prompt "They were even better than...", I assumed that it was referring to the actual concert, which you would use the preterite of 'Ser' (Fueron) as it is a single and defined event, however when you see "...in my dreams." you then see it was referring to multiple, repeated instances so you would hence use the imperfect tense (Eran).Perhaps I am mistaken?Regardless, these quizzes are very good for practical and realistic Spanish usage.Thanks,Angus.

Answer

Hola Angus"They were even better than in my dreams."Here, you could actually use both "fueron" and "eran", you could take that "they were..." as a descriptive ser (eran) or a more completed action of them (the people in the band playing) being good for that period while the concert was happening, i.e. a completed action, in which case you'd use "fueron".  The use of the preterite or the imperfect is subjective, independently of what comes after "than in my dreams." - You would imagine this being used more likely with a descriptive purpose, but the preterite is also a possibility. We'll be adding a hint to that sentence to avoid confusion.I hope it clarifies it.Saludos cordiales